Cognitive impairment and blood biomarkers of renal dysfunction in high-risk Nigerian population, with special attention to women and diabetes
Fraile-Ramos, Juan 
(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Neurociències)
Dogoh, Faeren (Benue State University Teaching Hospital)
Ogiator, Monday 
(Benue State University Teaching Hospital)
Oghagbon, Efosa 
(Benue State University Teaching Hospital)
Gimenez-Llort, Lydia 
(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psiquiatria i de Medicina Legal)
| Data: |
2025 |
| Resum: |
Background: Sub-Saharan Africans and Afro-Americans face 2-to-8 times higher risk of dementia compared to Caucasians, with Nigerian people being the highest population-at-risk. Adding to this challenge, their unique lipid profile increases their susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2), which further raises the risk of cognitive impairment (CI) by 1. 5 times. Recently, we demonstrated a strong Diabetes/Dementia tandem in Nigerians, with increased cognitive vulnerability in illiterate, short-height, and diabetic Nigerian women in the eye of the storm. The combination of factors within this population makes it the optimal scenario to understand the relationship between CI and DM-2. Methods: Here, we further studied the blood biochemical analysis of our Makurdi cohort and searched for correlations with standard anthropometric measures, educational level, cognitive status (as assessed with MMSE, 6-CIT) and DM-2. Results: CI was prevalent across all groups, with higher incidence in DM-2 subjects and a marked sexual dimorphism. Thus, women exhibited a greater risk, especially those with low educational attainment. In the search for potential blood-based biomarkers for cognitive function, we identified those related to renal function. In particular, elevated uric acid and urea levels were associated with poorer cognitive performance, highlighting a potential kidney-brain axis connection. Conclusion: Renal function blood metabolites in this Nigerian cohort have been identified as possible kidney-brain axis biomarkers of CI. Moreover, illiteracy, female sex, and DM-2 pose them a compounded risk of developing CI. These findings advocate that targeted interventions addressing educational disparities and metabolic health could be proposed to mitigate cognitive decline in these vulnerable sub-groups. The integration of these factors provides a comprehensive understanding of CI incidence in Nigeria's population, offering new avenues for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies. |
| Drets: |
Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.  |
| Llengua: |
Anglès |
| Document: |
Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada |
| Matèria: |
Sub-Saharan Africa ;
High-risk AD ;
Kidney-brain axis ;
Biomarkers ;
Women |
| Publicat a: |
BMC Neurology, Vol. 25 Núm. 1 (April 2025) , p. 158, ISSN 1471-2377 |
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-025-04173-w
PMID: 40217181
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Registre creat el 2025-10-30, darrera modificació el 2025-11-26